Envelop-fastener.



, PATENTED APR. 28, 1908.

E. B. STIMPSON. ENVELOP PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 2,1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN BALL STIMPSON, NEW- YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES ENVELOPE 00.,

p OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENvELoP-rAsrnNEn'.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr-i128, 1908.

Application filed Oetober2 1906. Serial No. 337,0!2.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that LxEDWIN'BALL STIMP- soN, a citizenof the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, 5 city and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and: useful Improvements in Envelop-Fasteners, of which the following is aspecification'.

This invention relates to certain improve- ].0 ments in fasteners such as are adapted for employment for holding the sealing flaps of envelops inclosed position while permitting such flaps to be readily raised or opened for inspection of the contents, and the object of the invention is to rovide a fastener 'of this general character 0 a simple and com aratively inexpensive nature which shal be capable of convenient manipulation, .and

wherein are provided i'mprovedmeans of attachnient to the envelop'body whereby the device is securely held in position thereon and the liability therefrom is lessened,

The invention consists in certain novel features of the construction, and combinations and arrangements of the several parts of the improved envelop fastener, whereby certain important advantages are attained and the device is'rendered simpler, cheaper and otherwise better adapted and more convenient for use, all as will be hereinafter fully set forth.

The novel features of the invention will be carefully defined in the claims.

In order that m v'invention may be the better understood I have illustrated in the accom anying drawings two forms of envelo astener embodying my improvements, in w iich drawings V Figure 1 is a perspective view of an envelop having a fastener constructed accordin to my invention applied thereto with its Hapengaging prongs in flattened position; Fig. 2'

the flap-engaging prongs of the fastener plate thereon upbent and in edge elevation, and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing a modified forof the fastener being torn inforced portion 2 roduced centrally along plate embodying my .55

- its back surface by apping one edge portion of. the blankv from which the envelop is formed upon the other so as to give such reinforced or thickened portion a double thickness suitable for the attachment of the fastener plate as will be hereinafter described.

3 represents the closing flap of the envelop, which is herein shown as arranged at the end of the body portion and is provided with an aperture 4 adapted for the passage of the fla en aging prongs ofthe fastener plate as wi l be hereinafter described 5 represents the fastener plate as a whole. This plate is preferably formed from thin sheet metal of elongated shape, as to its body portion, and said'body port1on is ada ted to clearly shown in Fig. 4, in such-a manner as to afiord a secure and effective attachment of the fastener plate upon the envelop.

8, 8, represent the flap-engaging prongs which are integrally produced upon the fastened plate, and are extended 1n opposite directions from opposite sides of the central portion of the elongated body portionthereof, and are alined with each other in a direction inclined with respect to the length of said body portion, and the opposite sides of the respective prongs 8, S, are prolonged by means of cuts 9, 9', extended part way across the body portion of thefastcner plate in such a way as to permit. the said prongs to be upbent, parallel with each other along lines indicated at 10, 10, in Fig. 3, whereby when? the said prongs are upbe nt as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, theportion of the fastener plate be tween them, and indicated at '11 in said ligures, is narrower than the remainin part of l he body portion of said plate, so that .the

said prongs are permitted to closely appro aeh one another in position for convenient passage through the opening i of the closing flap when the envelop is to be closed.

After the flap-engaging prongs 8, 8, have been passedthrough the opening at of the closing flap, they are spread apart in a well known way for securely holding said flap closed, but are capable of being afterwards alined or bent parallel with each other so as to facilitate lifting of the closing flap for inspection of the contents, and the construction of the improved fastener plate is suh manipulated for closing and opening the end flap of the envelop while the peculiar arrangement of the attaching means is such as to afford assurance against tearing of the plate from the body of the envelop when the flapengaging prongs are beingmanipulated and also prevents turning of the fastener plate upon the envelop body such as would tend to throw the flap-engaging prongs out of po sition to engage the aperture i of the closing Ftuthermore, the Z1g-' alined fiap-engaging prongs e, 8, so that.

when said prongs aretiattened out as seen in Figs. 1 and 3 the strain imposed at the at-' tachingmeans upon the envelop when the prongs are upbent will be minimized and a uniform support will be afforded to the body portion over a considerable extent; of the surface of the reinforced part 2 of the envelop to prevent the fastener plate from bein torn loose-therefrom.-

a t-om the above description of my improvements, it will be evident that the envelop fastener constructed according to my invention is of an extremely simple and co1nparatively inexpensive nature and is particularly well adapted for use,especially upon mailing or other envelops which are required to be opened for inspection of their contents as to. permit it to be readily and conveniently after being once closed, and it will also be obvious from the above description that the device is susceptible 'of considerable 1nodiiication without material departure from the principles and spirit of the invention and for this reason I do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to the precise formation and arrangement of the several parts of the device as herein set forth in carrying out my invention in practice. For example, in some cases, the construction shown in Fig. 5 may be adopted with good results. This form of the device is similar to that above described, excepting that the end portions 12, 12, of the zigzag shaped body portion of the fastener plate are extended parallel with each other, but are thrown out of alinement, the connecting portion 11 being extended at right angles between them, and being made of reduced width by reason of the cuts or slits l i, H, which permit the flap-engaging prongs S, 8, to be prolonged part way across said connecting portion in order that they may be bent upwards along the dotted lines closely adjacent to each other without reduction of the width of the end portions of the fastened plate at which the tubular rivets or eyelets are arranged.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An envelop fastener comprising a body portion of Zig-Zagformation, the ends of which have integral eyelets produced upon and projecting from them for attachment to the envelop and the central portion of which is adapted to bear upon the surface of the envelop and is provided with a Hap-engaging prong extended at an angle thereto and adapted to be bent to project from the envelop in position for engagement with the closing flap thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this lst day of October-,lQOb, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWlN BALL S'llMPSON.

Witnesses:

H. G. Hose, W ILLIAM J. FIRTH. 

